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Oct. 16 Joe Girardi postgame interview

JOE GIRARDI: His low back is ‑‑ on the left side tightened up a little bit. We will see how he is tomorrow and we'll see what we have tomorrow which will determine what we do with him.

Q. Joe, did you consider hitting Alex or a right hitter? What went through your mind there when Ibañez came up?

JOE GIRARDI: Well, they were going to bring in Benoit.

Q. So you liked that first match‑up better than the other one?

JOE GIRARDI: Ibañez has been one of our best hitters down the stretch here.

Q. Joe, if you knew you would get this kind of pitching, did you believe you would be down 3‑0?

JOE GIRARDI: No. You look at this and it could be a number of different things besides 0‑3 for us. We have gotten good pitches all the way throughout the playoffs, and we will need it again tomorrow if we want to live another day.

Q. Do you think Alex or Swisher will play for you tomorrow?

JOE GIRARDI: You know my answer to that.

Q. Joe, are you astounded that your offense has been held down as such as it has been? What do you tell your team going forward?

JOE GIRARDI: I am, but you have to put it all behind you. What has happened has happened, and you have to find a way to score runs tomorrow. And you have your ace on the mound, and you see what happens. Win a game tomorrow, and then let's see what happens.

Q. Joe, you turned your lineup around a little bit today. Were there parts of it that you liked or didn't like?

JOE GIRARDI: I am not sure ‑‑ what I saw tonight or going into it or ‑‑

Q. What you saw tonight. What you had hoped for and how close it came. Verlander considered, and all that stuff. Did you see something close?

JOE GIRARDI: I mean, you look at our at‑bats, and there were some good at‑bats tonight. The ball was not carrying tremendously well tonight, we know that.

But I think he ended up with three strikeouts. So our guys put the ball in play and tried to get on base, but, you know, when you face Verlander, you know what you're up against.

Q. Joe, you had struggling hitters get on in the ninth inning, your hottest hitter up, did you feel it could be a turning point in the series coming up?

JOE GIRARDI: Yeah, I did. I did. Raul has come up in a lot of big situations. You know, you go back to September 1 and he has come through for us, and I felt great about him up there.

Q. Joe, on the ball that they got their second run on, it looked like Granderson got a jump on it. Did he have a chance at the ball even if he got a jump on it?

JOE GIRARDI: I am not sure. It's hard for me to say because it happened so fast. You are not exactly sure. But I think he kind of froze when it was hit on the line drive and it was further than he thought.

Q. Can you just talk about what you got out of Phelps and Rapada and Eppley and Logan and Joba?

JOE GIRARDI: They did a tremendous job for us tonight. The bullpen shut us down. And you think about how much we had to use Booney, and he did a tremendous job. The whole group, we had to hold them in check for one run. And in some tough situations, it's really good.

Q. Joe, all things considered, what do you go back to the hotel thinking about tonight? Is it today? Do you start ‑‑

JOE GIRARDI: No, tomorrow. For tomorrow. How do we win tomorrow, that's what I start thinking about.

Q. What are your initial impressions?

JOE GIRARDI: We have to outpitch them. We have to outhit them. It's pretty simple.

Q. You tried all different kind of lineups and moving guys around. Is there anything personally you think you can do here?

JOE GIRARDI: I can't hit, if that's what you're asking. I wouldn't want to face Verlander, not at my age. So the thing that you do is you keep encouraging the guys and you keep telling them, Hey, find a way, find a way to get it done.

And, you know, the one thing about this group that I'm very proud of is they have overcome a lot this year, and there is nothing that has come easy for us. You can start with the first three games of the year, we got swept.

And it has been a battle the whole year, and they have found a way to get it done. And that's what we're going to have to do.

Q. Joe, do you think guys are pressing at the plate?

JOE GIRARDI: You know, that's a question you're always asked a lot about, "pressing." I am not sure exactly what that means, if you squeeze the bat tighter or you go out of your zone. I didn't see that tonight.

You know as I talked about earlier ‑‑ I am not sure if you were here ‑‑ Verlander, who averages I think over nine strikeouts per game, struck out three guys tonight. And I think our guys really tried to put some good at‑bats on him, and they did.

But he's really, really good, and we know that. So as far as pressing tonight, I didn't think so.